After drummer Bill Berry retired in 1997, R.E.M. released three consecutive albums of mellow, quasi-experimental albums. Up and Reveal were solid efforts but they lost their footing a little bit with the spotty at times Around The Sun. After the negative reception of Around The Sun, the boys from Athens, GA felt they had something to prove with 2008's stunning return to form Accelerate, which primarily featured short, loud bursts of punky energy. The album served it's purpose, which was to regain their mojo. Well, R.E.M. have just released their 15th studio album Collapse Into Now, and it's safe to say that the band are once again at the peak of their formidable powers. While Accelerate was an exercise in rocking out, Collapse Into Now is just R.E.M. playing to their strengths and being themselves.
This is R.E.M.'s best album since 1996's New Adventures in Hi-Fi. Like that album, Collapse Into Now is pretty diverse, featuring ballsy rockers ("All The Best" and "Alligator_Aviator_Autopilot_Antimatter," which features Peaches on vocals and Lenny Kaye on guitar), ultra-catchy power pop ("Mine Smell Like Honey" and "That Someone is You"), psychedelic hard rock ("Discoverer") and acoustic balladry ("Oh My Heart" and "It Happened Today," which features Eddie Vedder on vocals). As well, the album features the Velvet Underground-esque "Every Day is Yours To Win" and "Me, Marlon Brando, Marlon Brando and I," which is a tribute of sorts to Neil Young's "Pocahontas." Album closer "Blue," which features Patti Smith on vocals, recalls "E-Bow The Letter" (which also featured Smith) and "Country Feedback" with Michael Stipe's spoken word beat poetry over Peter Buck's acoustic guitars and feedback.
What really stands out with this album is the confidence that the band exudes. Musically, Peter Buck is a force on guitar and mandolin, Mike Mills' melodic bass and harmony vocals prove once again to be the band's secret weapon, and Michael Stipe's cryptic lyrics and distinct baritone have rarely sounded better. On album closer "Blue," Stipe declares "This is my time/ I'm thrilled to be alive." Well, the band certainly sounds alive and kicking on this album. It's a shame they're not going to tour behind this batch of tunes because there isn't a clunker in the bunch.
You can check out videos for two of the album's songs below...
After flirting with 12 minute songs that verged into Jethro Tull territory on 2006's The Crane Wife, The Decemberists decided to dive headfirst into the pool of self-indulgent prog-rock with 2009's Hazards of Love. After getting that out of their system, Colin Meloy and company have thankfully decided to get back to basics with the loose and vibrant The King Is Dead. Meloy, always quite the literate wordsmith, even amusingly acknowledges the pretentiousness of their recent work in the rollicking "Calamity Song": "Hetty Green/ Queen of supply-side bonhomie bone-drab/ (Know what I mean?)." Uh.... suuuuure we know what you mean.
The band's trademark English folk influences are still the foundation, but this time they have added more American influences to their sound. In particular, there is a distinct American country/roots feel to this batch of songs. The opener "Don't Carry It All" would fit perfectly on Tom Petty's Wildflowers album while there are more than a few nods to R.E.M. throughout the album. Meloy openly admits that he had R.E.M. in mind when he wrote some of the songs for this album. He even went as far to get Peter Buck to play on three tracks: "Don't Carry It All," "Calamity Song" (which would fit nicely on Murmur or Fables of the Reconstruction) and first single "Down By The Water." However, the secret weapon on this album is Gillian Welch. Her sublime background harmony vocals launch seven of the ten tunes into the stratosphere. Her voice meshes perfectly with Meloy's. In particular, she helps make the chorus of the Celtic-tinged "Rox in the Box" soar.
It is early in the year but I have a hunch that this album will wind up in my Top 10 list by the end of the year. Every song is an absolute winner and the melodies will stick in your head days after you've last listened to this album. Highlights include "Calamity Song," "Rox in the Box," "January Hymn," "Don't Carry It All" and "Down By The Water." You can check out a video of the band performing "Down By The Water" with Gillian Welch on Conan below.
After reading Kent Rock's list of his favourite cover albums, I got thinking about some of my favourite cover tunes. Cover bands and cover songs sometimes get derided, but there is definitely room for an artist/band to reinterpret a song. The Beatles and Rolling Stones started out as cover bands; R.E.M. covered everyone from Aerosmith to The Velvet Underground to Television to Syd Barrett; U2 began by covering Ramones songs... Well, you get the idea. Some of the greatest artists have had no qualms about paying tribute to some of their heroes. Johnny Cash's 90's comeback largely consisted of him taking others' songs and making them truly his own.
So without further ado, here are 10 cover tunes that make me smile.
10. Bruce Springsteen - "Jersey Girl" (Tom Waits)
Tom Waits is the living embodiment of the "cult artist" so his dalliances with the mainstream are largely due to other artists covering his tunes. Some are atrocious (Rod Stewart), some are interesting just for the curiosity factor (Scarlett Johansson), and some truly do justice to the original. The Boss' live rendition of this classic Waits tune is transcendent. In fact, it almost seems like Waits wrote this song specifically for Springsteen.
And no... this song is NOT about Snooki. Although, Wait's original line "Don't want no whores on 8th Avenue" could be interpreted as such.
9. The Beatles - "Money" (Barrett Strong)
While John Lennon and Paul McCartney were honing their songwriting chops, they did killer versions of Motown, Blues and girl-group songs. In the process, they made the songs their own. This version of Motown songwriter Barrett Strong's song is arguably one of the first proto-punk songs ever released.
8. Iggy Pop - "Louie Louie" (The Kingsmen)
Iggy takes this classic 60's garage rock party anthem and makes it into a social commentary on the end of the Cold War, AIDs and the tearing down of the Berlin Wall. He probably figured that since there were really no real words to the original tune that he had to sing about something. But the main thing is that you can still shake your butt to it.
7. Tegan and Sara - "Dancing in the Dark" (Bruce Springsteen)
These two Canadian sisters take The Boss' biggest pop hit and strip it down, giving it a sense of yearning and soul that Springsteen only hinted at. On paper, this cover shouldn't work but I may actually prefer it to the original.
6. R.E.M. - "Pale Blue Eyes" (The Velvet Underground)
The "little band that could" from Athens, GA takes this sad, frail Lou Reed song and turns it into a sad, midtempo country song. The harmonies between Michael Stipe and Mike Mills really elevate this cover.
5. Johnny Cash - "Rusty Cage" (Soundgarden)
During his Rick Rubin assisted comeback, Cash covered many (then) contemporary artists like Beck, Nine Inch Nails and Danzing. However, my personal fave is his take on this Soundgarden tune. With Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers as his backing band, Cash completely reinvents this song and OWNS it. Chris Cornell has even said that it's no longer their song anymore.
4. Ramones - "I Don't Wanna Grow Up" (Tom Waits)
The Ramones and Tom Waits seem to have nothing in common on the surface, but there was definitely a mutual respect between them. Joey and Johnny and the boys got their first major MTV airplay with this Waits cover from their final studio album. In turn, Waits covered two of their songs a few years later. I'm not sure if I like this version better than the original, but the Ramones definitely put their classic stamp on it. This is one of those songs that instantly puts me in a great mood when I've had a bad day. The world might suck that day, but I suddenly become okay with that. :-)
3. The White Stripes - "Stop Breaking Down" (Robert Johnson)
The Rolling Stones do a fantastic job of this Robert Johnson tune on Exile on Mainstreet. However, this version absolutely pummels Mick and Keef into the dirt. Jack White sounds like a man possessed on this track from The White Stripes' debut album. Reason #759 why Jack and Meg will be missed.
2. Joey Ramone - "What a Wonderful World" (Louis Armstrong)
Joey Ramone recorded his first and only solo album while dying of cancer. I think it's pretty incredible that while he was facing mortality right in the face he decided to cover the most hopeful and uplifting song ever recorded. Joey definitely went out with a bang. RIP Joey.
1. Social Distortion - "Ring of Fire" (Johnny Cash)
It takes quite the feat to take perhaps the definitive song by the Man in Black and make it your own definitive song. But with "Ring of Fire" Mike Ness and company have done just that. Ness would likely get lynched if he ever decided not to include this tune in a Social D setlist. I love how they take the classic melody and slightly off-kilter time signature and put their own spin on it. It is still true enough to the original, yet it sounds like it could be penned by Ness. This is hands down my favourite cover song ever. Enjoy.
